Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandson (Ian), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!

Monday, February 04, 2019

2-4-2019 Monday-1:15 pm

Good afternoon!

Was another low-spoons, noodle-y, restful, quiet, weather week. You may have heard about the record cold temps and wind we had up here for three days (T-Th). Schools, clinics, and some businesses were closed. We didn't even have mail in town on Wednesday with the 60+ below wind chill. I was tossing out at least three times as much seed as usual. As you can see by the evidence, the rabbits have been very grateful.

I tried to go out and sweep the rabbit poops off the patio because I felt badly having to toss seed out on top of poop scattered snow but the majority were frozen into the snow and nobody seemed to mind eating around them--LOL! Too dang cold and windy to shovel and I have a difficult time shoveling, anyways. When it warms up and the wind dies down...whenever that finally happens--LOL!

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Caroline was supposed to come clean on Tuesday. I let her know we should reschedule since it was 20-something below. She was glad to just have to make it to work and back. Everybody wonders if their cars will start when it's that cold.

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One morning I had just tossed out the seed and hadn't even closed the patio door...look who came hopping out from beside the building to eat!

Some of you may remember the baby cottontail bunny who hung around here...goodness, was it a year ago or two?

The cottontails look so small compared to the huge jackrabbits.

She wasn't afraid of me (probably more afraid of the jackrabbits) and let me get up fairly close to take pictures. Look at those cute little ears--aww! I'll bet a good share of those poops are hers--LOL!

Annie missed the bunny visit. ;)

****It had warmed up to 10 degrees by Friday--thank goodness. Caroline brought my groceries. Still cold but not as bad as 25-35 below.

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I had started the memoir section for the week on Thursday but didn't finish till Saturday. Nothing for you to read this week--no links. I guess I hadn't written anything about high school. Don't feel like gabbing about that right now, either--LOL!

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The only reason I was catching up on Saturday is that there was no Gramma Day because Ian, Leah, and Dagan all had pinkeye. (Ahh--preschool--ROFL!)

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I had to also do something creative for my weekly artist's date...so I just folded and taped together those envelopes from last week.

Goes to show you how slow I have been moving the past month--took me three sessions to just do these. Something I would have done in one sitting in my past (healthier) life--LOL! Oh well. You do what you can. They are finished. :) (Some of you will get some odd envelopes in the mail--hehe!)

Last night another winter storm blew through.

This time it buried my patio.

Can't even see my planters--LOL!

The snow piles over there from the apartment parking lot across the way are getting higher.

They're well past the height of the garage doors.

I noticed somebody made a little bed next to the patio door last night. I wonder if it was the bunny. I think she's been hanging around nearby a lot. Could be a couple grouse, I suppose, too. Looks too small to be a jackrabbit's bed.

Yup--living in the wind vortex I still can see grass in my yard despite there being drifts 4-5 feet high on the other side of the sidewalk. We got an additional 4.2 inches they say. Hard for me to judge here out my windows in my little corner of the world.

They say we could get more snow tomorrow night. Not looking to warm up any time soon. I guess I will be waiting to shovel the patio--LOL! ;)

I tossed the seed out as far as I could but with the wind there is no chance of accuracy. The girls and the sparrows came readily to climb and dig in the snow drift.

This is my view this morning from my laptop at the kitchen table.

As you know, I do love the snow! But the frigid temps this winter are a bit much. One time it's a blessing to be housebound in an apartment where somebody else has to shovel. ;) There are silver linings to everything, I guess. I feel badly for all the people who have to shovel and pray their cars will start...and the people who have to be outside in their weather for their jobs!! My poor brother, Blaine, has retired but he works part-time still reading meters--walking from house to house in all weather. Brrr!

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Well, I hope everyone stays warm and safe. Or if you live where it is terribly hot that you stay cool and safe. (I hear there is record heat in Australia!)

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Can't get this song out of my head. So, I'll leave you with James Taylor...and me smiling and singing along.

****"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."Buddha

Just to look at your pictures and I am cold! After living for decades in the Deep South, first in greater Atlanta and now moving to Nashville, I don’t think my body could handle all that cold. It is pretty to look at, though. Here today it was in the 60s F. I listened to your video of James Taylor – I liked that song and his voice.

We love Alexa for playing our music too! I often ask her to 'play music like......' and then I choose an artist I like - there are some good combinations usually!! I love James Taylor so guess what I will be saying tomorrow!! I can't imagine how cold that is as I wimp out here at freezing point!!! -6C is about as low as it's been here at night and that's not with much wind!! Take care and don't go trying to shovel snow...please!!!Hugs, Chrisx

We are in the midst of our first winter weather for the season. It has been blowing hard for a couple of days and we have at least one more day of it. Plus the temperature won't be above freezing for a day or two. It got down to 15°F last night. Cold for us! Looking at your temps make me feel like we've got it good! :-)

There sure was a lot of extreme cold especially last week and I do believe your area was one of the worst! We had one day here when there were a lot of closings due to below 0 temps but we never got as cold as you do up there! I'm sure glad you can stay in because that kind of weather is just not fit to go out in at all!

That little bunny is so cute and has the sweetest face! Do you see him very often? Do you know if he is all alone or maybe has a friend. We have rabbits around here but you hardly ever see them except occasionally in the summer. We do have squirrels everywhere here year round.

Sorry to hear you've had a low spoons week. Rest up and don't over do anything!

Hey! You are doing great feeding the critters! That bunny is real cute! Cold here again tonight -16 now, bitter today when I was in town, but the weekend was fairly warm. I heard significant snow and cold were on the way. Stay warm, I like days when we can just stay inside but I still have to shovel or feed birds or something, busy week lots of appts. Hope you get more spoons soon. My Hamstring Tendon is taking lots of my spoons...it is exhausting:(

Oh I have been hearing about the horrendous weather you people have been having there. I only experienced minus 20 once, it was in Canada and the ink froze in my biro sicne I was trying to write outside for some reason! :) You do wonder how it must be for the wild creatures, so small and yet they have somehow to keep warm and keep going with no protection from that weather. I bet they are more than grateful for your birdseed and food, if it wasn't for you they mightn't be there at all. I hope it warms up for you much more soon!

Burrrrrrrr.....:-/ Winter has been a challenge here too. At least all of our snow had melted before the deep freeze hit. But it was puddled everywhere so now we have these ice patches that are deadly... Speaking from experience. Fell twice on the ice and can barely walk now. HOpe the family has recovered from their pink eye.. that is so uncomfortable. Carol

The envelopes are beautiful! So colorful and cheerful! They will bring joy to everyone who receives one. The little rabbits DO look a lot smaller than the jackrabbits. The cottontails are the type we have around here. They drive the dogs CRAZY when they hop by or eat food under the birdfeeders. I can't believe how high the snow piles are there in the parking lot. That's really high!

I'm ONLY two days late (grin). That is an adorable bunny. I'd bring it in and snuggle with it, but my "boys" would be very unhappy. Here we've had ice and I worry about power outages. Yesterday and today it was so cold, I couldn't sit at the computer very long before my fingers got too cold to type. It was 51 F in the office and that was the warmest room in the house.

Hope you are staying warm and not overdoing yourself. Have a super rest of the week, dear Rita.